In the Shade of Pink Elephants
by krystalMage
Summary: New Chapter UP!Sakura was just doing what any self-respecting jilted woman does.  Get thoroughly smashed and end up in bed with her ex's worst enemy. DeiSaku. Chapter 5: The Sting in my Tail. Read and Review.
1. Twist the Knife

**Summary**: Sakura was just doing what any self-respecting jilted woman does. Get thoroughly smashed and end up in bed with her ex's worst enemy. DeiSaku

**Disclaimer**: Anything you can recognize here belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

**Pairing: **Deidara and Sakura

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><p><strong>In the Shade of Pink Elephants<strong>

**Chapter One: Twist the Knife**

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><p>The tinkle of the delicate flutes echoed endlessly through the hall. Soft murmurs were punctuated with the sound of laughter here and there. Sakura moved among the guests with feline grace, turning the corners of her mouth up and nodding as she brushed past the crowd to go hide in a corner, where nobody would tell her, "Oh! They look beautiful and so happy!" and nobody would be abysmally stupid enough to ask her, "Ne Sakura, are you alright?"<p>

She reached the edge of the room and placed her hand on the papered wall. Resting her forehead against the wall, she took a deep breath, steadied herself and turned around – her sparkling smile once again plastered on her face – beautiful, confident, unflappable Sakura. She didn't even notice the pain in her cheeks anymore. Her face had been frozen in the same expression since morning. Since she was part of the legendary Team 7, she was supposed to be at the church before the rest of the gang since "a woman's touch" usually made or marred any event. And she had come, true to duty.

She had overseen the decoration, had a word with the preacher, rattled up the catering staff, and was seen running around fixing things a mere hour before the ceremony when Ino had bustled in, grabbed her arm and waltzed out, declaring she'd be dead before she allowed Sakura to show herself in public looking like a fright. She allowed Ino to doll her up as she wished – she wasn't bothered anyway. Ino had just pursed her lips, muttered something about pushing needles into "that bastard's" head. But she made no mention of the S word all the time they were together, for which Sakura was grateful. Ino was volatile most of the time, but when somebody pissed her off; she skipped rage and went straight to fury. And all things considered – Ino was pissed.

"Forehead."

Sakura turned to find Ino standing in front of her now. She stood tall and elegant in a shimmering white off-shoulder gown with two glasses of champagne in her hands. She lifted one of them in the air, indicating it was for her.

"Ino…thanks." Sakura took the glass and stood quietly as Ino turned to watch the newly weds.

"How soon can we leave this circus?"

Sakura glanced around anxiously, "Ino! Somebody could have heard you."

"I doubt it. They breed selective hearing into their young, don't you know?"

"Gods, pipe down, Ino."

Ino raised an eyebrow. "Why do you care Sakura?"

"I don't want to create a scene."

Ino glared at her with something akin to frustration then emptied the contents of the flute in a single breath. "Fine. I promised I'd behave – for your sake. And I will. But if I have to endure the sight of that scoundrel for more than ten minutes, I refuse to be held accountable for my actions." Her eyes flashed challengingly. Sakura turned away.

It was so easy for Ino to show her anger, to be disdainful, rude even, and nobody would bat an eyelid. Nobody would read something else into it. Nobody would point fingers and say 'case of sour grapes'. She wished she could throw caution to the winds and just let it all out. Shout, scream, break things, catch hold of Sasuke by the collar and slug him. But that would mean accepting defeat. That would mean accepting that he had the power to reduce her to a spectacle. And she didn't want to give him that satisfaction. So she was going to stay here, till the end of the ceremony, till the final crumbs of wedding cake were swept away, till the last glass of champagne was consumed, and she would do so gracefully, elegantly, like she was having the time of her life, like she was the happiest person alive.

She turned to the newly weds and caught him staring at her. His onyx eyes seemed watchful as though he was calculating and trying to figure out just what was going on in that head of hers. Because Sakura wasn't one to take things lying down. Because when somebody hurt her, she didn't get mad, she made plans. And once those plans were put into action, she got even. Always. Without fail.

Sakura smiled prettily and held up her glass, as though she was raising a toast to him. Sasuke looked away, suddenly disturbed by the strange light playing in her eyes.

He moved closer to his bride, protectively drawing an arm around her waist. Sakura smirked. Today had been perfect. She hadn't once felt miserable, truly miserable about the fact that the boy of her dreams was getting married to someone, getting married to someone else…..getting married to someone else after being lovers for close to a year. She had shut her emotional core down so it wouldn't bog her down with niceties. She didn't care. She wanted to hurt Sasuke. Really hurt him. She wanted to claw those pretty Sharingans out of his sockets and crush them – gods she felt angry. But she would do none of those things. Revenge was a dish best served cold, and she had thought long and hard about this.

Sasuke didn't care what the village thought of him or what the whole world thought of him. The only opinion that mattered to him had been Itachi's , and now that Itachi was gone, his own. His brand of megalomania was truly hard to come by in this day and age.

Sasuke had to feel ridiculous. Even if nobody else ever knew, if something happened that made him feel silly or stupid, it would drive him crazy. And that's exactly what Sakura had planned. Of all the things she'd learnt from her team mates over the years, the knowledge - that the little things always get you - remained supreme. Little things, like eating the last pack of ramen minutes before Naruto burst into the room, volunteering to get Sasuke's laundry and forgetting the Uchiha clan special bag behind at the Laundromat, borrowing Kakashi's Icha Icha books and 'accidentally' letting Akamaru chew on them. Oh yes, little things.

"Sakura-chan?"

Sakura smiled, really smiled for the first time in the longest day of her life. She turned and pulled him into a bear hug. "Naruto!"

"Ehhhh Sakura-chan, let me up for air!" He playfully tugged at her arms even as Hinata stood beside him and smiled at her fiancée's antics. "Well, if I had known I would get such an awesome reception, I would have come sooner."

Sakura pulled a face and punched him lightly in the arm, ignoring him as he clutched his arm and howled dramatically. She smiled at Hinata who wordlessly hugged her then stepped back to Naruto's side. Sakura felt her smile grow wider; although this time it was genuine. Naruto had finally scrounged together the courage to confess his love for Hinata and ask her to marry him. They were like two halves of a whole. They had recently begun finishing each others' sentences, much to the amusement of their friends.

Hinata glanced at the reception dais and nudged Naruto. "Naruto-kun, we should go congratulate Sasuke and Hanabi-chan." Naruto nodded once and winking at Sakura, he let himself be taken to the dais where he smiled politely and shook hands cordially with both the groom and the bride, the epitome of detached sophistication.

"Wow. Naruto is really pissed, isn't he?" Ino was back. Sakura swirled the pale gold liquid in her glass thoughtfully.

"I think the only reason he is even here is because Hinata didn't want to skip Hanabi's wedding." She replied softly. Ino stuck her tongue in her cheek and processed this piece of information slowly in her head. Of course, as clan head, it was Hinata's prerogative to make her displeasure or support clear. However, while most of the Rookie Nine and Team Gai knew about Sakura's involvement with Sasuke, Hinata could not oppose the match without making Sakura look like some sort of victim to the rest of the village. And Sakura would gladly become a Jashinist before she let anyone label her a damsel in distress who had to be saved. So even though Hinata was not pleased about Sasuke ditching Sakura and ensnaring Hanabi's attention in such a short time, she could do nothing more than make it obvious that he had a long way to go before he gained any position or say in the clan. The Hyuugas were helping him and she'd never let him forget it.

Ino sighed. "Forehead, how long are you planning to stick around?"

Sakura glanced at her watch. "Time to wrap up the party I guess." Dinner was over, dancing was dealt with, some of the guests had already left and everyone else was waiting for the right cue to make an exit as well. She glanced towards the dais and caught Sasuke's eye. Handing her glass to Ino, she quickly made her way to the dais, her silvery blue dress hugging all her curves and flowing out behind her like water. She briskly mounted the steps and whispered into Sasuke's ear.

"Now is a good time for Hanabi to throw the bouquet."

Sasuke glanced at her. Her eyes seemed to reflect the sparkle of the diamonds in her ears. She wore no other jewellery. Her arms were bare and the dress….the dress seemed to have been stitched on her. There was just the faintest trace of a blush on her cheeks and her lips were glazed with gloss. He sucked his breath in, wondering for the hundredth time tonight, when had Sakura become so much more beautiful. He hadn't been able to take his eyes off her all night and it frustrated him to see her so calm, so friendly, so concerned that everything be perfect. He had honestly expected her to be bitter about the whole thing but here she was – like it hardly bothered her, like she didn't give a damn, as though she had already moved on with her life…had she? Had she moved on….found someone? Could it be that the calmness, the happiness he saw on her face was because of some other guy? For a crazy minute, he felt a jealous twinge in his heart. Try as he might, he couldn't shake off a feeling of discomfort as he thought about Sakura with another man.

"Sasuke?" Realizing that Hanabi and Sakura were both staring at him, he quickly nodded and took Hanabi's hand. Sakura led them both to the foot of the curving staircase. Hanabi would throw her bouquet here and then they would both leave for the Hyuuga compound. The Uchiha family compound was in no state to live in and Hinata refused to let Hanabi move into what was technically still the village ruin. It had little to do with the fact that she wanted both Sasuke and Hanabi where she could keep an eye on them. Really.

Amidst cheering, lots of giggling (mainly from Hanabi's friends), and catcalls, Hanabi turned her back to the crowd and gracefully threw the bouquet back. The onlookers watched with bated breath as the bouquet sailed through the air. It fell close to Ino, who looked like she couldn't care less. The unfortunate bundle of white roses would have crashed to the floor had Naruto not stepped in gallantly and plucked it from the air. He smiled and handed it to Hinata.

The newly weds slowly made their way to the doors, nodding and thanking everyone who stopped them to congratulate one last time. Sakura watched them leave in relief. That was it. It was over.

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><p>The bar was noisy and like a breath of fresh air after the ceremony. Sakura looked around the table happily. All of her friends had managed to squeeze into one booth, but this meant that Kiba's elbow found its way into Shino's mouth again and again, Ino had the mammoth task of feeding Chouji chips since he couldn't take his arms out from under the table. Shikamaru's thighs had long since fallen asleep but he insisted it wasn't because of Ino's weight. Lee was the overjoyed man squished between Tenten and Sakura and he made his happiness clear each time he raised a toast to the eternal springtime of their youth. Naruto and Hinata were at the Hyuuga family home, welcoming Sasuke as a member of the family.<p>

Sakura smiled as all of them made an effort to be extra boisterous, extra loud…just for her benefit. She could tell in the way they looked at her. Even Kiba who normally had the emotional sensitivity of an ox had thrown her a bunch of sympathetic glances during the course of the evening. She stared into her drink. It was getting harder to seem like everything was sparkling in her life now that Sasuke wasn't around to watch. Maybe, she should stop pretending to be the cool, poised young babe she'd been acting like all this week. There was nobody to show off to now. Sasuke was gone. Maybe it was time to do what she had felt like doing since the minute Sasuke told her that he was dumping her to marry Hanabi, so that his future children would have the benefit of the Byakugan and a powerful clan behind them…and besides, he really couldn't have any Uchihas running around the village sporting pink hair.

Sakura pushed her hands into the table and stood. Chatter around the table stilled instantly as they all stared at her, waiting. It took all her self-control at that moment to keep from bursting into tears. She grinned even as she could see that they knew it was fake.

"Well, I promised myself that I'd drink myself silly tonight. Who else is in?" She didn't wait to see their reactions. She dropped into a barstool and rapped her knuckles on the bar.

The bartender leaned forward. "What can I get for you?" He smiled flirtatiously, and Sakura smiled right back. This was exactly what she needed. Lots of booze and a revenge fuck. And Sasuke could go screw himself.

"Surprise me."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. But whatever you give me…make it strong."

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><p>Nine tequilas later, Sakura was singing at the karaoke machine. Her cheeks were flushed, her steps unsteady but there was a smile on her face.<p>

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><p>Two drinks more and Ino and Shikamaru had to rush to the stage to stop her from falling. They insisted on taking her home.<p>

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><p>She didn't know how she'd managed but she'd done it. She had left her friends, hoodwinked them into thinking she was going straight home and slipped into the bar next door. She sat quietly, with her head on the bar, still, not moving a muscle, just concentrating on the sounds behind her. Vending machine, chair scraping, pint of beer, pool table, jukebox, glasses, waitress, couple making out…..sitting alone….despair. She breathed into the polished wood of the bar, and rolled her head so she could look at the bartender.<p>

"Can I have some scotch?"

The bartender looked sceptical, but he wasn't about to get into an argument with her. He mumbled something and placed a cool tumbler with a neat peg of JD in front her. Sakura closed her fingers around it and roused herself enough to lift her head off the bar. She took a sip, raised an eyebrow appreciatively and drained the tumbler dry. Placing it back on the bar, she called for a refill. She looked around the bar and sighed at the lack of pretty men.

From the corner of her eye, she was vaguely aware of someone settling down in the stool next to her. Blonde, black coat, long fingers, beautiful hands. Sakura turned casually. His hair was done up in a half ponytail, with the rest of his hair falling over his shoulders like silk. He sat tilted away from her so she could just make out the profile of his face but it was enough to see that he had high cheekbones and a straight nose with firm, pink lips. She didn't know how long she'd been sitting there, staring at him when suddenly,

"Didn't your mother teach you not to stare, yeah?" A lazy drawl cut through the alcoholic haze and hit her between the eyebrows. She blinked and looked at him again. Blonde hair, smouldering blue eyes, black coat….that even without the red cloud design still screamed 'here's trouble baby'.

She felt her spine pull straight and her hands reach for a kunai strapped to her thigh before she knew what she was doing. And just as quickly a hand, a beautiful hand with long fingers closed around her wrist firmly. "Quit it. You're here for a drink. So am I. Don't get melodramatic, yeah."

She froze. Of course. Deidara had been pardoned by Konoha in exchange for fighting on their side during the war. He'd been brought in bruised and battered, worn out and almost dead after turning on his former comrades. He had wanted to live, he'd told Tsunade. And so he was willing to work with Konoha if they gave him that chance – a chance at life again.

Sakura bit her lip sheepishly. "Sorry. Force of habit."

He smirked. "No problem, yeah." He watched her carefully as he raised his own drink to his lips, drained it and set it down again. "What, did your date abandon you or something?"

Sakura frowned as he dragged his eyes from her head to her feet. "No."

"Then, you just like going to bars looking like a duchess, huh?"

Sakura scoffed. "No."

He raised an eyebrow in question. Sakura sighed. "I just came back from a wedding."

"Did you now? Friend of yours?"

Sakura snorted. Deidara smirked. "Right. So you're celebrating your freedom, yeah?"

Sakura laughed. That was a funny way of putting it. She looked at Deidara once again. Maybe it was the alcohol but she couldn't help but notice how the normally smoky blue of his eyes would suddenly flare up with fire when he laughed, how his teeth dug into his bottom teeth as he thought, how that bulky coat hid the promise of a beautiful, sculpted body and how Sasuke would keel in shock and disgust if she just happened to be seen around town with this S-class former missing-nin as an arm accessory. She licked her lips. Get thoroughly smashed. Check. Find a guy and get laid. Sorta check.

She could do this. One night of meaningless sex wouldn't kill her but it would show Sasuke what an idiot he was for thinking that she'd be sitting at home wallowing in self-pity and a tub of ice cream instead of painting the town red. Yeah, she'd show him just how easy it was to forget him. And she'd do it with Deidara. Everything was fair in love and war. And this was war.

She never would have thought having drinks with a former S-class missing nin could be so much fun. She hadn't laughed this much and felt this light in weeks. Deidara was witty, snarky and completely unapologetic about anything he did. Sitting beside him made it so easy to forget the mess that was her life. She smiled winningly and turned towards him, carefully touching his knee with her own. She leaned forward, "You know, this is the most fun I've had in days. I never would have thought you'd be so easy to get along with. Somehow, I always thought you'd be the worst sort of flaky, belligerent bastard."

He looked at her, "You're pretty drunk, aren't you?"

Sakura glared at him in mock-anger. "I am not! I can still walk in a straight line."

"Mmhmm. Let's see you do it."

"Why you! What do you think I am, some sort of show pony? Forget it!"

Deidara burst out laughing. "You're full of shit, you know that?"

"I am not!"

"You're drunk, so drunk you can't even stand."

Sakura growled and slamming the tumbler down she stood and promptly swayed. She managed to steady herself and stood straight. Jutting her lower lip out in a pout, she twirled on her heel and would have collapsed in a muddled heap on the floor but for a pair of arms that caught her before she hit the floor. The arms hoisted her up and deposited her back in the stool.

"You should stop now, yeah." He said softly. "You made your point."

She slumped forward and would have kissed the floor had he not stepped up and stopped her fall with his hands. She felt her head slam into his chest and she groaned in pain.

Deidara rolled his eyes. He looked at the barkeep. "Whatever she owes; just put it on my tab, yeah."

The bartender nodded pleasantly. It was only a few hours till morning. He wasn't about to argue with that logic. He watched the blonde man steady the pink-haired girl and lead her outside. He shook his head as she still made attempts to come back and pick up where she left off.

Deidara managed to get her out and up the stairs to the main street where a group of other shinobi were finishing up their own little party. He ignored them and focussed on getting Sakura to sit or lean against something while he figured out what to do.

But Sakura was having none of it. The fresh air seemed to give new life to whatever mischief she'd been cooking up in her head and she leaned into him, pushing her body against his, her fingers cupped his face and she whispered, "You're beautiful Deidara. Did you know that?"

"I do now." He replied shortly, pulling her hands away from his body. He would have been flattered had she not been dead drunk, if she really knew what she was saying then he would have responded like any other redblooded male but….she wasn't. It was the alcohol and nothing else. Right now, she'd even find Kisame beautiful too.

Her hands wormed back towards him. She skimmed them around his waist and he groaned as she snuck them under his shirt, fingers splaying over the bare skin of his back even as her lips grazed the underside of his chin. Her tongue poked out and softly, slooowly licked along the line of his jaw. He stopped. "Sakura, quit it."

"Mmmm don't want to." She replied playfully, nipping his ear with her teeth, her hands fisted into the material of his coat.

"That's too bad." He tugged at her arms, trying to pull them away when she slammed him into a wall. The group standing outside the bar suddenly took notice. Deidara swore colourfully. "Fuck, Sakura! The fuck is wrong with you?" He was mad. Dammit, nobody pushed him around like that, even if it was a really hot, strong, pink-haired hellion who was as drunk as a fish. He gaped at her. Her bangs fell around her face, her eyes blazed, and she held him against the wall with her bare hands. Damn…she was fine.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a girl and a man approach slowly. But, he couldn't take his eyes off the explosive woman standing in front of him. Did Deidara ever mention how much he liked domineering women? No? He _loved_ them. He watched mesmerised as jade sparks danced in her eyes even as she held him trapped against the wall. She leaned closer and pressed her lips to his throat. He groaned. Let caution and prudence be damned. He'd worry about the implications of this later, but right now, right now, she was kissing his neck like her life depended on it, like it was the end of the world. His hands slid up her sides, grasping her tightly, pulling her close. He bent his head and captured her mouth. She tasted like spice and fire. Her tongue danced around his, stroking, sucking, fighting for the upper hand. His hands were everywhere, her breasts, her waist, her rear, her neck. They broke away for air and almost lunged at each other instantly.

"Sakura…..SAKURA?" She froze. He froze. Who was that? Why did that voice sound so familiar? Sakura turned slowly; slowing pushing Deidara's hands off her ass, bending her head as he quietly adjusted the strap of her dress and pulled up the zipper at her back.

Ino was staring at her with an expression that screamed she'd gotten everything she ever wanted in life plus a room just for her lingerie and Shikamaru looked like the bill for the above mentioned had finally reached him.

"Sakura…" Ino managed to choke, looking frantically from her to Deidara even as Shikamaru rubbed his neck and mumbled, "How troublesome…"

"You need anything Ino?" Sakura replied icily. She glared. For fuck's sake go away Ino. Can't you see I'm busy? Operation Screw-With-Sasuke's-Mind is finally on board, so can you please just go?

Ino clamped her mouth shut, grabbed Shikamaru's arm and rapidly began walking back the way they came. "Sure, uh…have fun! We need to go home anyway."

Sakura turned to Deidara. He was staring at the ground. She ignored her friends who stood gaping at her from across the street. Tomorrow, she'd be headline news for all the gossips of the village. She had to make it count. She cupped Deidara's face in her hands.

"I think I'll just take you home."

"Sakura," he shifted his feet. The interruption had given him time to think. There was no doubt in his mind that if he went with her, he'd probably end up trailing after her like a lost puppy everyday after. He'd probably start stalking her for good measure too. And he didn't think that'd sit well with his probation review team. Oh hell.

"Hmm?"

"You sure? This isn't just some drunken thing?"

"Why sir! A lady is never drunk."

He laughed. "I wouldn't know. I'm not much of a gentleman."

She didn't know where she got the nerve to act so…unlike her usual self…so completely careless and reckless. "That's alright." She breathed into his neck; her body almost flush against his. She lifted her fingers to his hair and tangled them in the fine gold strands. "I don't want a gentleman tonight anyway."

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><p><strong>Author's Note<strong>

Okay, I finally worked up the courage to post this. This is my first Naruto fanfic ever, so be kind. Constructive criticism is welcome. Oh and any OOC-ness might just be due to the fact I'm slightly out of touch with Naruto but I love this pairing and so just wanted to write something on them.

Please comment.


	2. My Knight in Rusty Armour

**Summary**: Sakura was just doing what any self-respecting jilted woman does. Get thoroughly smashed and end up in bed with her ex's worst enemy. DeiSaku

**Disclaimer**: Anything you can recognize here belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

**Pairing: **Deidara and Sakura

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><p><strong>In the Shade of Pink Elephants<strong>

**Chapter 2: My Knight in Rusty Armour**

He'd noticed her the minute he stepped inside the bar. Like anyone could mistake that candy-coloured hair of hers. It had been a bit of a shock, really. Shinobi like her - honest, upstanding, _exemplary_ shinobi like her - weren't often found in this part of the village, not unless somebody was in trouble. This wasn't how he'd expected to meet her anyway. Well, he hadn't given it much thought, but this definitely was not how he'd imagined finally meeting the little girl who sent his danna to death. He didn't hold it against her, really. How could he? She had been like a vision in that cave, bursting in on the scene in a shower of rocks and raw, deadly power. Her eyes flashed fire, her fists promised pain and she stood straight, silent and completely unafraid.

If he hadn't had interference to run at that moment, he wouldn't have minded sitting down and watching the rest of the show. But…he had to go, had things to do, people to kill, explosions to plan, battles to fight. In all honesty, the decision to seek asylum in Konoha had perhaps been influence by the fact, that maybe, he might once again run into that supernova of a kunoichi, the pink-haired one with fists that could break mountains.

But in the chaos that followed his defection from Akatsuki, he forgot everything and everyone except one thing – surviving. Those days were like a blur to him. He couldn't remember eating or sleeping. All he remembered was the running, the constant running, looking over his shoulder, cursing his luck, cursing his former comrades, cursing his luck again as his feet led him to an Akatsuki hideout whilst running from Zetsu. He'd doubled back, and raced away from that place like he'd never done before. He wanted to live. He wanted to create art. He wanted to stand in one place and not glance around, wondering who'd been sent out to get him this time. He wanted life. He didn't want to die in a stupid war for stupid people and their stupid ideals that he had never believed in anyway.

As luck would have it, running brought him to Fire and consequently, Konoha. He knew what he had to do. He had to convince Konoha to let him in, to let him live. And so he proposed a deal. 'Give me sanctuary and I'll fight this war as one of you, yeah'. Shock couldn't describe what he had seen on their faces. Suspicion, scepticism and utter disbelief didn't come any closer either. No, it had to be a combination of all those things plus appalled disgust, disdain and fear. So they did the only thing they could. Ask him to prove his loyalty. Kill the ones following him. He had smiled like a madman…and agreed.

So he fought. Fought Hidan and Zetsu, fought like a fury, like a storm, fought till he could no longer distinguish the ringing in his ears from the beat of his heart. Hidan was down but the plant man….the poison flooded his veins and he saw…relief on their faces. Relief that he was dying. That he had taken out one more Akatsuki and rendered the other useless. Three more to be crossed from the Bingo book boys. Drinks all around!

But, that would have been just too convenient, wouldn't it? And Deidara firmly believed in never, _ever_ making things convenient. Like the incorrigible bastard that he was, he survived.

He woke up to white walls, white ceiling, white coats hovering around him. He sighed. All that trouble, and not even a splash of colour – what was wrong with them?

"You lived." A clear voice filled the room, followed by the sharp clicking of high heels on the concrete. A hand reached above his head to pick up the clipboard attached to his bed. He peered over his chest to set his eyes upon the blonde hair, a pert nose, and red lips, and the largest bosom he'd ever had the pleasure to meet. A single glance told him this was none other than the Godaime Hokage, the legendary Sannin Tsunade. He exhaled and let his head drop back to the pillow. If she was here, and he was here, then they definitely weren't finishing him off by lethal injection or something. He would live.

"Well brat, I have seen fit to let you live. You belong to us now."

And those were the last words he heard before he was drifting away into dreams where plant men and the zombie undead chased him around a giant cactus on the borders of Suna.

He had limited contact with anyone who was not part of his probation review team. Even during the fighting, his contact had been limited to the teams he fought alongside. Any injuries he'd sustained were treated by the team medic; he'd never been hospitalised. So running into a medic-nin who had killed Sasori and who just happened to be the Hokage's apprentice as well wasn't prominent on his radar, unlike the other problem transfer he'd heard about.

Konoha had veritably laid the red carpet out to welcome back its prodigal son. Uchiha Sasuke not only managed to get his punishment reduced but also got instant rehabilitation in the village. It was to be expected really. Konoha really looked out for its own.

He took a seat next to her, wondering how long it would take for her to notice it was him. Her senses were just slightly dull as she took the time to stare at him thoroughly before waking up to an OMFG-I'm-sitting-next-to-an-Akatsuki moment. Once she'd recovered from the shock, he'd been surprised to find she was not averse to giggling, being silly and even flirting outrageously with him. It _had_ to be the alcohol. He laughed at her crude jokes, obviously gleaned from male team mates, at the pouty faces she was making, at the slurring of her words and even at the way her hips swayed in a drunken dance with a beat that belonged only to them.

She was a far cry from the image of Haruno Sakura he'd had in his head. The Sakura he'd seen standing beside her team mates was calm, in control, unruffled, efficient and a hard taskmaster. Not the sort of woman who'd be sitting downing drink after drink in a less than respectable bar. Not the kind of woman also who was all but dragging him up the stairs to her apartment. He didn't normally have scruples about this sort of thing but it was so out of character for her that he was forced to do some thinking even though running his mind in circles was the last thing he wanted to do.

He rested his head on her shoulder as she fumbled with the lock on the door, his hands resting on her waist. Sakura swore colourfully before finally getting the right key in and pushing the door in. They stumbled inside, her arms wrapped around his neck, his hands grasping her ribs and trying desperately to ignore the nagging voice at the back of his mind that was yelling at him to back off, something was wrong. She wasn't saying anything. Her kisses were too forced and distracted…or maybe he was just imagining things. Women didn't chatter when they were caught up in the heat of the moment did they? For all his reputation of being a lady killer, he had very little actual experience with women. Being Akatsuki didn't exactly bring women running to you, if anything it drove them away. Even now, the only women who bothered to give him the time of the day were the Hokage, the old lady he brought groceries from and the sole female member of his genin team, Mizuki-chan.

So he held her face in his hands and tilted it up towards him, so he could make sure she was listening and looking at him. Sakura blinked and momentarily stopped tugging at his shirt. His eyes were clouded over with some nameless emotion and for an instant, she felt a pang of regret for the way she was using him.

"Sakura…I think…"

She shook her head, pouting her lips, "No, no don't. Don't think, don't be sensible tonight, please Deidara…I…just want to…." She closed the distance by pressing her lips to his, slowly coaxing him to open his mouth. She pulled him flush against her body and deftly managed to move so she could discreetly guide him to her bedroom. Her tongue swept across the roof of his mouth before he finally kicked away his doubts and kissed her like he had wanted to since the moment he had seen her.

Sakura felt the back of her knees hit the edge of her bed. Deidara had pulled the zipper of her dress all the way down. His fingers splayed across her back, revelling in the feel of her silky smooth skin. His hands, rough and callused, ran up and down her back in slow ovals. He pushed one strap of her dress down and closed his mouth upon her shoulder even as his other hand rested at her waist, the hand-mouth still closed. He didn't know how she'd react to his bloodline limit. In case, she turned out to be one of those women who started screaming bloody murder the instant they felt a mouth where it shouldn't be, the evening would end very painfully for him and he wasn't stupid enough to risk that. Really, when you're faced with a woman who could end your chances of ever having children with one well-placed kick,

you try not to screw things up.

On the other hand, if she liked it, well then…he smirked against her skin. She better be prepared to spend most of tomorrow in bed as well.

X

Sakura stared at the ceiling. Deidara was covering her neck in feather-soft kisses, his hands running up and down her sides. She bit her lip. Why was she feeling so guilty about this? What did it matter? She just wanted to get Sasuke out of her system and this was the best way, right? And besides, this was Deidara. Former missing-nin, S-class criminal (well, not anymore) Deidara. It wasn't as though either of them were looking for their happily-ever-after. It was just sex, no-strings attached, no holds barred sex. It could almost be a mission for all the sentiment attached to it. It was just a fact that needed to happen to her. Something she could toss casually in Sasuke's face and watch him squirm because she had noticed they way he'd stared at her tonight. She could already read the regret in his eyes, could already see him wishing he hadn't left her. Well now she would just give him a taste of his own medicine. Twist the knife into his heart and laugh as he reeled.

She whimpered but whether it was an attempt to keep the tears at bay or whether it was her body's natural reaction to the man in her arms right now, was hard to say. She closed her eyes. Why was it so hard to forget about Sasuke? She should be enjoying herself right now. She had a beautiful, sexy man with her and all she could think about was the boy who had spent his whole life betraying something or the other. Maybe Ino was right. Sasuke was a parasite of the soul. He had leeched on her emotions for so long that now, even after he was gone from her life, the wounds he left behind, festered and ate away at her heart, making her hollow inside.

She bit her lip harder as the first tear slid out of her eye. _Sasuke_….He had `

ruined her. His cold, cruel words cut through the pleasure Deidara was giving her and she sunk her teeth into her lips. A tight band of pain wrapped itself around her head and exploded inside her skull. The languid, bubbling feeling that had been rising in her body died away till Sasuke's cold voice and his words cut her heart into ribbons again and again.

"_I need to revive my clan Sakura. An alliance with the Hyuuga will give me the strength and protection I need to rebuild. And besides, if we have any children, your stupid pink hair will nullify any respect given to them because of the Sharingan."_

X

Deidara sighed in appreciation as his palms closed around Sakura's pert breasts. Running a thumb over her hardened nipple, he glanced up towards her, but she buried her face in his neck, mumbling something. He smiled and closed his mouth around her aching flesh, softly suckling on the kiss-hardened nub, before lightly grazing it with his teeth. Sakura gasped. Her fingers tugged sharply on his hair. He continued to swirl his tongue around her areola, now and again dipping his lips to kiss and bite the underside of her breast, making her arch into him. Her body's shudders were punctuated by the breathless gasps escaping from her mouth. She whispered hurried words that made no sense to him. He paused for a half a second, wondering whether he should stop and ask Sakura just what she was talking about. But then, her hand clasped his and brought it back to her breast, a softly whispered, 'don't stop' his only indication to proceed. He shook his doubt away and ran his other hand down her body, revelling in the way his touch reduced her to shivers. As his fingers reached her satiny soft mound, he playfully nipped her neck at the point where her neck met her shoulder. His fingers deftly parted her folds….and froze.

She was completely dry.

Deidara whipped his hands away from her like he'd been burnt and sat up. Sakura stared at him stupefied. He shook his head and pushed himself off her. Sakura self-consciously covered her chest with one arm and sat up beside him.

"Dei…Deidara…what happened? What's wrong?"

He shot her an intense glare. "What's wrong? You ought to know that, yeah." He heaved himself off her bed and strode to where he'd dropped his shirt earlier. Pulling one sleeve hurriedly over his arm, he looked at her, "What are you playing at Sakura? You don't want this, yeah. You don't want me."

Sakura shook her head. "But...I do! I do, Deidara. I do want you."

Deidara finished buttoning his shirt down and looked around for his cloak, not bothering to answer her. _Shit. I knew something was wrong. I knew it. Great going Deidara_.

Sakura quickly wrapped a sheet around her mostly nude body, and followed Deidara as he was tugging his cloak on. "Deidara…please…don't leave…not like this."

He glanced at her. "Stop playing me Sakura. Look," he ran his fingers through his hair in exasperation, "I respect you, as a ninja and I don't know what game you're playing but it's obvious you're not thinking straight, yeah. Now I may not be an expert on women but I do recognise when it's time to leave."

"Deidara I don't want you to go." Sakura hung on his sleeve, imploring him not to leave, because she didn't want to be alone. She didn't want to hear Sasuke's voice in her head, telling her how she was still useless, worthless, wasn't worth spending any guilt on, wasn't even worth lying to, lest it spare her feelings.

"Stop lying Sakura. It insults my intelligence….yeah." He turned on his heel and quietly made his way out. Once out on the street, he cursed as the balmy air hit his face. Of all the cursed luck….somewhere in some godforsaken corner of Hell, his former comrades must be watching his predicament and laughing their asses off. He glared at the stars. "Yeah, yeah bastards, go ahead and laugh."

**Author's Note**

Alright, errr…so I had to go read a few chapters of Naruto…not that it helped. I still feel like the OOC-ness is killing me but…**hope is eternal and I shall persevere.**

Cue Card: APPLAUSE

krystalMage: Thank you, thank you. **takes a bow** For those of you who feel cheated out of a swashbuckling, raunchy, hot and wild lemon….sorry. But, it's better to have no lemon rather than a crappy lemon, yeah? Yeah? No? Errrr...** looks for the nearest exit**

Honestly, I'm not confident enough to put one in the story yet. Maybe later.

Please comment.


	3. Well, that was Awkward

**Summary**: Sakura was just doing what any self-respecting jilted woman does. Get thoroughly smashed and end up in bed with her ex's worst enemy. DeiSaku

**Disclaimer**: Anything you can recognize here belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

**Pairing: **Deidara and Sakura

Thanks everyone who has reviewed this story. I can't tell you how much I appreciate the feedback and the love! Since it is my first Naruto fic, I keep having palpitations regarding the characters.

* * *

><p><strong>In the Shade of Pink Elephants<strong>

**Chapter 3: Well, that was Awkward**

"Wow."

Sakura groaned.

"No, really…wow. So you get drunk as a fish, drag home an extremely sexy guy who has the whole 'dangerous aura and mystery about him' thing going on and yet, despite all of the above, you fail to get laid. Wow." Ino shook with soft laughter.

Sakura sunk her head down upon her arms, trying to disappear inside the crisp, red-checkered tablecloth at her favourite café. Ino sat opposite her, holding a large cup of coffee. She looked completely unsympathetic and didn't even bother to hide the fact that she was sniggering from her distraught best-friend.

"Ino, you're not helping. You're _supposed_ to be patting my head and telling me it'll all be okay."

"You know I don't lie."

"Ino!"

"Sheesh, relax, will you? I mean, come on, I think you got away with just a little embarrassment. It could have been a lot worse."

Sakura gaped at her. "How on earth could it have gotten any worse than this? I'm so ashamed I want to die."

Ino raised an eyebrow. "Well, for one, he might have created a scene, yelling at you for leading him on and tricking him out of sex, two, he could have persisted in trying to get you where you needed to be, you know…but he didn't do anything of that sort. I think he acted pretty decently, left as soon as he found that you really weren't ready to do the nasty." She set her cup on the table, shook open a sugar sachet and poured it into the cup. Picking up her spoon, she glanced at Sakura, a wicked smirk stretching across her lips, "Only you Forehead, only you could kiss a guy to distraction in full public view and then chicken out in the privacy of your bedroom."

Sakura sighed. She slowly lifted her head off the table and propped her chin in her hand. "It's not like I wanted to chicken out Ino. I really wanted to have one night of wild, meaningless sex but…." She pressed her fingers against her forehead. "I guess I just can't do it."

Ino waved a hand in the air dismissively. "Cheer up Forehead. Your plan was good, I'll give you that. That asshole wouldn't have known what to do with himself if it had worked but I guess it just wasn't meant to be. Forget it. Move on."

Sakura was silent. She stared at the dregs of coffee left in her cup. Ino just didn't get it. She couldn't move on, damn it. Not until she had personally witnessed some measure of pain on Sasuke's face; pain that had been dealt to him by her. Not by Naruto, not by Kakashi or Sai but her, Haruno Sakura. She couldn't move on. Sasuke hadn't just dumped her. He'd insulted her entire being, everything she had worked so hard for all these years while he had been off gallivanting around the world looking for revenge. Sasuke had patronized her struggle for an identity as a ninja, as a woman, as a human being and she could never forgive him for that. Her anger didn't just stem out of the fact that he had cheapened her love and likened it to something that could be easily replaced by a clan name and bloodline limit, but also from the fact that it told her volumes about Sasuke himself. What sort of a man was he that he could only value something that was superciliously superior and nothing else. Where did that leave everything else? Even if she got over her the blow he'd dealt her, what did it say about his mindset?

If he ever managed to revive his clan, was this the sort of values he would instil in his children? To value and cherish power, and power alone. To let nothing else figure on their radar as important and worthy of protection. That didn't just stink of a severe superiority complex but it also went against everything Konoha stood for. For the first time in her life, Sakura felt that perhaps, they had been a little too hasty in allowing Sasuke back into the fold. He was cold, callous and disdainful towards the very people who had fought for him; put their reputations and their careers on the line to ensure that he had a stake in Konoha again. Had they all just been tools? Tools for him to get what he wanted…if that was the case then, what had changed since that day when they had found him in Sound? Then, she and Naruto had been a means to get more power, and today, they still remained the steps of a ladder that reached for more power.

Ino suddenly reached forward and shook Sakura by the shoulder. "Forehead, don't space out on me." Ino's ice-blue eyes softened as she wrapped her fingers around Sakura's hand, quietly exerting pressure, "Hey, Forehead. It'll be okay, I promise."

Sakura looked up. "Will it?"

Ino smiled, that warm smile she kept only for her Forehead Girl, and nodded. "It will. Just hang in there."

X

Most people get nauseated inside hospitals, complaining about the smell of disinfectant and medicine, but for Sakura, this smell and everything associated with it meant that someone was working hard to heal and help other people. So, it was something that needed to be treasured. Sakura smiled as she passed a group of junior healers in the corridor. It was only after she had walked a few steps that she realized that they were giggling and staring at _her_. What was going on?

As she walked down the corridor, for a moment it seemed as though she was back in the Academy, hushed whispers launched feverishly but crept away to silence as soon as she came close enough to hear. She felt as though all the eyes in the hospital were digging into her back. When she turned, everybody looked perfectly normal. Still, she just couldn't shake off that feeling of being watched, judged. She shrugged. _It's called paranoia, Haruno_.

Shaking her head, she approached the reception area and asked for messages. A senior nurse who was manning the fort today gave her a stern glance and muttered something under her breath as she handed a clipboard to her. Sakura frowned slightly. She wasn't used to people not smiling and being happy to see her so getting this sort of lukewarm response was strange. Not to mention baffling for her.

"Is something wrong, Ida?"

Ida harrumphed. "Funny you should say that."

Sakura frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Ida looked at her in a sort of perplexed bewilderment. "Sakura, you've always been such a sensible, lovely girl and I have always admired you. I would have thought that you, of all people, would have better judgment than this. You're the last person who'd pick up some strange man from a bar and take him home. We're all pretty shocked, if you want to know." She sighed. "I know it's none of my business but well, I don't want to see you get hurt."

Sakura stared at her in shock before slowly clasping the outstretched clipboard from her hands and nodding curtly. As she turned to go, she noticed two junior nurses pause in logging their sheets to listen.

She turned away.

Pushing the doors to the changing room, she smiled amiably at the sole occupant of the room, a healer she'd dated briefly when she had turned jounin. Akira was a pleasant, friendly man. They'd mutually agreed to remain friends after discovering that they were great as friends but terrible as lovers.

Akira looked surprised to see her. "Hey Sakura."

"Hi. What's up?"

"I should be asking you." He replied with a knowing smile.

Sakura groaned. "Not you too."

Akira grinned. "Well if it's any comfort, it's all over the village by now. I wouldn't be surprised if even the Hokage knows by now."

Sakura ran her fingers through her hair. "Right." She grimaced.

Akira looked at her sympathetically. "You know, it would have hardly caused a stir if you'd picked up some normal, run-of-the-mill Joe, but you just had to go for that piece of work."

Sakura frowned, and before she could think about what she was doing, she snapped back, "Deidara is not a piece of work. He's….a good guy."

Akira stared at her. He looked away in embarrassment. "Er…sure. You know best, after all." He cleared his throat. "Well, it's the end of my shift…see ya Sakura."

"Bye." She slowly lowered herself onto the wooden bench in front of her locker. At some level, what she had wanted had happened. Everyone thought that she had hooked up with Deidara. That meant Sasuke would have heard as well. She raised her hand to her cheek. It felt warm. She sighed. This was so wrong. _Nothing_ had happened. She bit her lip suddenly as she thought of something. How would Deidara react to all the gossip? If anything, he must be getting it in spades compared to what she had to hear. She stood abruptly. Why hadn't she thought of this before? Oh gods, he'd be furious. She blinked as her name was announced on the speaker system, asking her to come to the emergency bay. She quickly changed into her white coat and stuffed her bag into her locker. Whatever it was, it would have to wait. Right now, she had a job to do.

X

Naruto leaned against an ancient oak tree at the edge of Team 8's training grounds. Hinata had been practicing a fairly complicated jutsu with Neji for the past three weeks and she'd mastered it. She was showing the results to her team today. He felt his heart swell with pride and happiness as he watched her. She moved with feline grace as she sparred with Kiba and Shino. The fluid movements of her limbs tricked her opponents. She hid the speed of her attacks under the rhythmic movement of the jutsu and in one fell swoop, disarmed both her team mates even as they waited for her to finish her attack.

Naruto grinned. He stood and walked towards the three. Hinata smiled and helped Shino up even as Kiba shook his head and jumped up.

"Holy hell Hinata, that was awesome!" He strode forward and pulled her into a bear hug, characteristic of him. He pulled away as Naruto drew near. "Oi Naruto, did you see that? Your girlfriend buried us today."

Naruto slung an arm around her. "Yeah, you guys suck."

Shino smiled. "You have been training with Neji. It shows." Hinata smiled back happily at her team mates.

"I was so nervous. I'm just glad I remembered everything Nii-san told me." The four slowly made their way to the sloping bank at the edge of the training field. They settled down, enthusiastically discussing the jutsu and how many ways they could use it during missions. Hinata watched as the boys argued back and forth, occasionally adding a comment in between, just to keep them from turning the discussion into a verbal brawl.

Keeping an eye on the rowdy pair that was her boyfriend and best friend she suddenly noticed that Shino was no longer paying attention to them, his face turned away towards two teenaged girls in medic uniform, making their way from the hospital. As they passed by, Shino's eye seemed to twitch and he turned back towards Naruto and Kiba.

Anybody else would have missed the slightly contemplative curve to his lips, but not Hinata. Years of carefully observing and watching her team mates had made her a master at recognizing even the most attenuated expressions they made.

She coughed delicately. Shino glanced at her. She raised one eyebrow slightly. Shino pulled the corner of his mouth up in a smirk. Leaning over towards her, he whispered in her ear, "You won't believe the latest bit of gossip."

X

Sakura pushed open the doors to the emergency bay and strode in. Immediately, a junior healer appeared at her side, handing her a clipboard, quietly reading out the details of the case from a notepad. The accident involved a genin team. Their sensei was late so they had started sparring to warm up. The fun and games stopped when one of the three decided to use a higher level of family jutsu on another team member and the situation had blown out of control. All three sported injuries, but one was serious since she had lost control of the jutsu and in an attempt to protect her team mates, drawn the damage to herself.

Sakura frowned. How many times had they had genin teams involved in freak accidents like this? It had been explained ten thousand times not to get carried away while training, and especially not to train without the presence of a teacher but…Sakura sighed. The junior healer nudged her gently as they reached. Sakura looked the over, two boys stood uncertainly beside their team mate's bed. One had short nut-brown hair that must have been slicked in short spikes on his head with gel, but was now lying flat , warm chocolate brown eyes. The other had steely grey eyes that seemed too old for a twelve-year-old and ebony hair that fell around his face in bangs. They stood huddled together; overwhelmed by all the commotion, trying to see, calm and collected. Now and again they would glance nervously at the doors and sigh. Their faces were smudged with dirt and their elbows and knees were covered with bandages.

Sakura took one look at them and melted. She had planned on taking them to task for being so stupid but now that she saw them, she realized they were just kids. They just didn't know any better.

The boys backed away as she drew near and checked the girl's pulse. She glanced at them, "Relax, I'm not going to bite you."

The boys still stared at her suspiciously. Sakura smiled. Twelve and they think they know everything there is to know about the world. She knew, she'd been there.

"Where's your teacher?"

The boy with grey eyes glanced at the girl on the bed before answering, "We don't know. Maybe looking for us, we didn't have the time to send him a message."

The other one piped up, "Actually, we were kinda hoping he wouldn't have to find out."

Sakura turned and raised one eyebrow elegantly. The boys blanched. "Are you kidding me? He's your teacher. They probably flagged him down the minute you were brought into the hospital."

The brown-eyed boy gaped. "Really?" He groaned and slapped his hand against his forehead. "We are so screwed."

Sakura smiled. "Oh come on, it can't be that bad. Who is your teacher anyway?"

Before they could answer, a deep voice rang out behind her. "Touya! Kisuke!"

Her fingers froze and her toes curled as she recognised its silky smooth texture. The boys at her side winced and turned to look at their teacher, heaving sighs of relief as they noticed the concern on his normally smirking face.

Sakura watched from the corner of her eyes as sun-kissed blonde hair stopped somewhere in her peripheral vision and then a beautiful hand with long fingers clasped the shoulder of one of them. "Are you both alright, yeah?"

"We're fine. How did you find us?"

"How?" He snorted. "Half the village is baying for my blood right about now, yeah. That was smart fellas. Practicing a higher level technique when you don't have the slightest clue what to do with yourselves…real genius, yeah."

"Sensei, we're sorry. We didn't mean to."

He dragged his fingers through his hair. "Forget about it, yeah. We can talk about this later. Where's Mizuki?" He looked at the direction they were pointing and felt his feet turn into lead as the sight of a painfully familiar pink head met his eyes. Unbidden, memories of how she had felt underneath him last night came rushing back, her skin, her eyes, her lips…everything. He didn't quite realize till this moment, how much he had wanted her. _Great. Just great_.

Touya, the boy with dark hair and grey eyes nudged him. "Sensei?"

Deidara blinked. "Yeah. I'm gonna go talk to…you two stay here, yeah."

Deidara cursed under his breath. His life was turning into one big cosmic joke. What had he done to deserve this? Alright, maybe he could think of a few things. He swore once again and then approached Sakura at his student's bedside. It couldn't be that hard. It was a very professional, no-nonsense sort of a situation; he would ask about Mizuki, do what had to be done and get the hell out of here and hopefully never have to see her face again. Right?

**Author's Note**

Hope you like this chapter people! Please comment. Thank you!


	4. Hospital Interlude

**Summary**: Sakura was just doing what any self-respecting jilted woman does. Get thoroughly smashed and end up in bed with her ex's worst enemy. DeiSaku

**Disclaimer**: Anything you can recognize here belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

**Pairing: **Deidara and Sakura

Thanks everyone who has reviewed this story. I can't tell you how much I appreciate the feedback and the love! Since it is my first Naruto fic, I keep having palpitations regarding the characters. All you lurkers, love you too. I'd love you more if you reviewed, but oh well. Can't win everything, yeah?

**-o-**

**In the Shade of Pink Elephants**

**Chapter 4: Hospital Interlude**

As their eyes met, she looked down with a slight blush. He noticed how the junior healer standing at her side gawked at him first, then glanced slyly at Sakura and began to smile. He remembered the whispers and unsavoury comments he'd been pelted with since the minute he stepped out of his apartment to meet his team. Oh joy.

Unsure of what to say and still trying to collect herself from the debacle of the night before, Sakura decided the safest option was to check on her patient one last time before she talked about her condition. Nodding imperceptively, she stepped around the bed, checked the girl's pulse and jotted it down. Pressing the clipboard I her trainee's hands, she pulled a small flashlight out of her coat pocket, and gently pulled the girl's eyelids down flashing the light in her pupils one by one. Finally she held her hand centimetres above the girl's forehead and pushed her charka in to probe and inspect the injuries and progress made so far. Fixed with her check-up, Sakura felt sufficiently calm and confident enough to face the man waiting calmly at the door.

"Deidara Iwa." It was not a question. She was merely letting him know that it was alright to approach the bed. She dared a glance in his direction only to regret it immediately as she felt her cheeks heat up as his eyes looked calmly back at her.

**Well, it wasn't the alcohol, that's for sure, because he's just as beautiful as we remember him from last night. **She was aware of the speculative glances her trainee kept levelling at him, and or one teensy, insane second, she felt like snapping at the girl or at the very least, ordering her from the room if she couldn't keep her eyes from staring at what wasn't her business.

**We could so do that. That nasty tramp shouldn't be ogling him. We earned the right to do that yesterday, when we got drunk with him.**

Then she realized that doing anything of the sort would only serve to strengthen the crazy rumours floating around the hospital. But then again, that had been what she was hoping for…and oh hell, right now she didn't care. She didn't….oh lusty lemurs what was wrong with her?

She watched aghast as an entire tray of test tubes toppled over the counter and crashed on the ground. She had tossed her clipboard a little too recklessly on the counter behind her to alleviate some of the frustration she felt at her inner self and at her trainee.

**Hell yeah!**

And now, everyone inside the room stared at her as though she'd grown two heads. Her trainee bustled forward immediately.

"Oh Sakura-sama, don't worry about it. I'm sure it was an accident. Why don't you sit down for this?" She darted her eyes coquettishly towards Deidara who scowled back at her.

"You alright, yeah?"

"I'm fine." She replied quickly, stepping away from the mess of broken glass and wood.

"You, sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure." She bit out. "Why, do you want a certificate?"

"Nah, I don't believe in the impossible."

Sakura glared at him. **Insufferable jerk.**

Deidara narrowed his eyes. She seemed to be muttering under her breath. "You seem distracted, yeah. Everything alright?"

Sakura stopped, spun on her heel and gave him a look of such poison that a lesser man would have fled on the spot. Deidara simply looked back at her and shrugged. "I'm just saying, yeah. You're like berserk or something, yeah."

"You are responsible for this genin team?" **Arrogant prick.**

He inclined his head. "I am their teacher, yeah." He looked down at the limp form of his student lying in the bed. A crease formed along his forehead and he reached down to gently brush her bangs out of her eyes. "Is Mizuki going to be okay?"

Sakura looked up. The naked concern in his eyes was unsettling, as was the fact that he was discreetly nibbling on the inside of his bottom lip. Sakura felt a jolt race through her nerves and the irritation she'd been feeling dissipated completely. This man, whom most the people in this village would dismiss without a second glance as a cruel, sadistic terrorist had worry and concern plastered all over his face. She just couldn't reconcile this face with the mocking, smirking face she had seen eight years ago on the mission to save Gaara. He had been cruel then, sadistically slapping Gaara's face to get a rise out of Naruto, to get them to chase him, taking the larger battle for himself. This man wasn't him. The years have changed him. He still had that maddening smirk and he was arrogant and infuriating, she had seen enough of that last night but, that insane, almost maniacal strain she remembered was missing in this man. The Deidara who sat upon Gaara's dead body, the Deidara who engaged Sasuke in an all-or-nothing fight, the Deidara who was more than happy to turn into a bomb just to have the world witness the "most beautiful bang it's ever seen" was not the Deidara sitting on a hospital bed, absently clenching and unclenching his fists waiting for a young girl to wake up.

"She will be okay. She's responding well to our treatment and…she's a fighter. She wants to be out of here as soon as she can, trust me. I've handled thousands of patients. I can tell which ones want to be out here." Her words had a soothing effect on him. He smiled – a soft, hesitant smile; the slightest upward quirk on one side of his mouth. He has a beautiful smile, she thought. **That smile ain't the only thing that's beautiful about him. I have some nice memories here. Hubba hubba. **She blinked, as she realized she'd just spent a couple of moments staring at his lips. Startled, she looked up to find her trainee hiding a smile behind the clipboard. Sakura cleared her throat.

"Is there anything else you want to know?" She fidgeted and twirled her pen around her fingers in a crazy rhythm. Deidara ruffled Mizuki's hair one last time and stood.

"When can we take her home?"

"Oh, I would recommend that she stay for at least three days. That gives us a chance to monitor her and deal with any relapse. After that, she should have recovered enough for her to go home. She will still need to come here for a check up weekly. And, initially, it's a good idea to keep physical training to a bare minimum."

"Right. Thanks…for…everything."

"Don't mention it. It's my job."

"Right," he glanced back where his other students hovered in the doorway, "I need to tell my team."

She simply nodded, pouring her head into the clipboard.

X

"Well?"

"Is she okay?"

"Are they going to perform surgery on her?"

"Can she still walk?"

"Did you talk to her?"

"Can we go see her?"

"When do we take her home?"

"Why aren't you saying anything?"

Deidara slapped his hand against his forehead. "Alright, here's how this works yeah. How about the two of you shut the hell up for a second so I can get a word in edgewise, yeah? How's that sound?" He glared at them. He hadn't been able to sleep last night. He'd been up since four and having snide insults tossed at him since seven a.m. Then, finding out about their little adventure on the training grounds and the subsequent meeting with Sakura had drained him of patience.

Kisuke and Touya exchanged a glance. Touya shoved his hands in his pockets and nodded while Kisuke replied, "Sure sensei, sounds good."

"Why thank you Kisuke, how _very_ generous of you."

"Aw sensei, I try my best_oof!" Kisuke exclaimed as Touya's fist connected with his temple.

Touya kept his eyes trained on their now very annoyed sensei. "I'm sorry about this sensei. He's hopeless. Go on, we're listening."

Deidara took a deep breath and knelt on the ground, so he could look up in their eyes. "Mizuki is going to be fine. They want to keep her here for a few days, yeah then we can take her home. And you guys have to be gentle with her okay?"

Kisuke rubbed his temple. "Sure sensei. No problem. Just try telling that to this idiot here!"

Touya rolled his eyes. Deidara stood, "Okay, I need to fill out some forms. You two can wait here or outside. We're going to train after this, yeah."

X

Sakura slyly pulled a tray of already arranged blood samples and began to fiddle with the bottles as she kept a keen eye on Deidara and his students. Once again, she was struck with how different he was. He was…almost unrecognisable. Seeing him like this, with his students, arguing with them, supporting them drove a needle through her heart. He was no longer a wanted dangerous man. Her agenda last night, of using him to drive Sasuke mad was an extremely selfish and stupid thing to do. The guilt she'd been feeling since he had left her alone in bed was mushrooming into a huge deal that simply wouldn't let her rest. After the dust of her anger had been swept away, she saw him, really saw him – here was a man who had survived the war, survived the Akatsuki and was now trying to get some semblance of normalcy back in his crazy, chequered life.

He had been in Konoha for over a year, and she'd never heard of even the slightest bit of trouble from him. There had been no aggravated fights, no random explosions, no maelstroms of dust and fire that was his signature the entire time. In fact, she had been genuinely surprised to see him last night. She didn't have the right to burst into his life just so she could get some petty thrill by seeing Sasuke's triumph thwarted even if by a bit. That would make her just like Sasuke. And she wasn't. Whatever else she was, she wasn't like Sasuke.

A hand wormed its way around her waist and a deep voice breathed into her ear. "Hey princess, what'cha staring at?" Sakura rolled her eyes and removed Kotetsu's arm from around her waist. He smiled back at her unrepentantly and turned to follow her gaze till he found what she was looking at.

He raised both eyebrows. "Him? Really, princess?"

Sakura pursed her lips and dragged her eyes away from Deidara, which was becoming harder and harder for some weird, incomprehensible reason. "I fail to see how it's any of your business, Kotetsu."

"Oh sure, give ol' Kotetsu the cold shoulder now that you have what's-his-name in your pants." Sakura rolled her eyes again. Izumo, Kotetsu and Genma had made a game out of flirting outrageously with her. She wouldn't mind it so much, had it not been so ridiculous.

"Keep your voice down!" Sakura hissed.

"Why? What're you going to do? Get mad at me?"

"Kotetsu…" Sakura growled in annoyance. He sidled up next to her, and pushed her back against the wall. Leaning dangerously close, he whispered, "Ooh baby, you know I like it like that."

The sound of someone clearing their throat broke in and saved Kotetsu from getting a nasty black eye. Sakura looked past Kotetsu to find Deidara standing, glaring at her. She noticed how she must look to him, partly shielded from his eyes by Kotetsu's body. She shoved the crazy-haired ninja aside.

"What is it Deidara?"

He shoved a piece of paper under her nose and glared at Kotetsu who raised an eyebrow and smirked back at him. Sakura frowned. She quietly took the paper and turned it over, reading. When did he become the poster child for Angry and In a Hurry. He seemed to fine just a minute ago.

Reading the paper, she glanced at him, "Deidara, this is only for blood relatives." It was a form for making a visitor card so he could stay as long as he liked near Mizuki.

"I don't think her step-dad can be roused long enough to sign it. He's drunk twenty five hours a day. We're all the family she has, yeah. We need to care of her."

Sakura glanced from him to the paper. It was one of Tsunade's first rules at hospital. Nobody apart from blood relatives can visit patients for extended periods of time. This was to safeguard, among other things, the precious bloodline limits of the village from falling into wrong hands. Signing this paper would mean going against a direct regulation installed by Tsunade. And she didn't know if she could do it. She didn't know if she could trust Deidara this way, so soon. What did she know of him anyway?

Feeling his eyes upon her, she looked up and sighed. "Deidara, it's against the rules but…I can talk to Shishou and see if she will grant you a special pass."

His eyes never left her face, and the relentless scrutiny sent a current running down her spine but she didn't let her eyes waver. Finally, he exhaled. "You'd do that?"

"Yes."

He smirked, but said nothing. Sakura hugged the clipboard to her chest, suddenly feeling shy around him. "So, I'll see you around."

"Perhaps." He turned and walked out of the hospital. Sakura stared at his retreating back in confusion. She let her hands hang limp. She wanted him to stay. She wanted him to leave. She wanted to call out to him. She wanted to relive last night…but without the memory of Sasuke blocking her, stopping her, freezing her in time. She wanted…to see what would happen if she followed Deidara, this time, for herself alone.

**A/N**

That's it for this time boys and girls!

Okay, big BAD news. I was juggling the baby on one arm and my laptop on the other and my laptop sadly, tragically fell. Yes, tiny splinters of LCD screen and memory chip splattered all over the floor, and that leaves me...where? So I don't know how and when the updates will come with no laptop. I'm clandestinely using my husband's laptop even though he's told me not to use it, in case my breaking streak touches his laptop as well. Meanie!

So, that's it I guess. Till the next time a secret update can be written, over and out.

Oh by the way, this is NO excuse for you not to review since, i do still have my iphone. Yayyy! Hope you guys like this chapter! oh and **Iuvenalis** - welcome to non- RK non-canon fiction! love you for being here!


	5. The Sting in my Tail

**Summary**: Sakura was just doing what any self-respecting jilted woman does. Get thoroughly smashed and end up in bed with her ex's worst enemy. DeiSaku

**Disclaimer**: Anything you can recognize here belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

**Pairing:**Deidara and Sakura

Thanks to everyone who took the time out to review. Dei X Saku needs all the love it can get, yeah!

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><p><strong>In the Shade of Pink Elephants<strong>

**Chapter 5: The Sting in my Tail**

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><p>"I hate this!"<p>

"The mission?"

"Tch. No, danna. Not the mission, yeah. The rain, I hate the rain, yeah." Deidara threw his hands up, gesturing at the steady downpour of water from the heavens. It had been raining for the past week. His clothes felt damp. His socks were wet and his boots made disgusting, squelching noises with each step he took. Not to mention the fact that his clay absolutely refused to cooperate; it was taking twice as long to get the consistency of his clay ready for his art. And on top of that, Sasori was going through a let's-be-patient-and-kind-with-Deidara phase which usually meant that he would speak to him like one would speak to a very slow-witted toddler.

"We live in Rain, Deidara."

Deidara stopped short and stared murderously at his partner. "I _know_, Sasori no danna. But that doesn't stop me from hating the rain, yeah."

"You are a strange and illogical boy Deidara."

Deidara fumed. "I wish you wouldn't be so calm about it. Can't you just agree that there's nothing good about rain, yeah? Do you always have to be so goddamn accommodating with everything?"

"Until I find and master a jutsu that allows me to control the rain, I see no sense or logic in berating it. Besides, rain has a purpose, as do we. And you'd do well to concentrate on the task at hand, instead of raving at the elements."

Deidara rolled his eyes. If there was even the slightest chance that Leader would not miss Sasori when they returned, he had every intention to blow him sky high in an explosion that would immortalise him. Something even his puppets couldn't ensure, because ultimately they were made of wood, hopelessly, miserably transient wood. Wood was a medium that would not just disintegrate in form but also from memory. In theory, Sasori's art was supposed to last an eternity, which was why he was so pompous about it, but he failed to realize that true art existed only in the moment. One moment in time contained within it the glory and confusion of the entire universe. And the beauty of that one moment would be enough to last till the end of eternity. Deidara huffed. It was impossible to believe how dumb someone as smart as Sasori could be. He just didn't get it.

Sasori stopped suddenly. Deidara glanced up at him, eyebrow lifted in question. Sasori lifted his chin and facing Deidara, turned his eyes to the left. Deidara smirked.

They had found him.

Two days ago, Leader had sensed the presence of a spy within the borders of Amegakure and he'd promptly sent Sasori and Deidara to find and eliminate him. They'd engaged two jounin-level shinobi from Sand almost two hours after leaving headquarters. Following a violent skirmish, the two had somehow managed to escape. They spent a day and a half tracking and following the Suna nins' trail and now, they had them cornered. The man was injured; he'd been careful to cover his tracks but his chakra gave him away. It wasn't that he hadn't masked his charka. He had buried it. It was like a gaping hole in the air. An empty space devoid of chakra can only mean one thing; somebody didn't want their presence to be detected.

Sasori settled on a boulder and glanced at Deidara. "Go ahead, he's all yours." Deidara shook his head, grumbling good-naturedly about how he always got stuck doing all the work. Sasori just rolled his eyes. Deidara stuck his tongue thoughtfully in the corner of his mouth as he worked the clay to mould two birds. He rolled the remaining clay around one hand-mouth, while darting his eyes everywhere, checking the area. Finally satisfied, he let the birds go. As the birds perched in crevices along the rock face they stood before, he smiled, "Katsu."

The rock face shook and burst in a shower of rock and fire. Deidara grinned as he smelt the pungent tang of burnt clay in the air. Sasori wrinkled his nose in distaste. The cloud of dust blew away with the wind to reveal a small cave. A man lay huddled at the back, shivering against the wall. His eyes were bloodshot and his brow dotted with sweat. The man was obviously ill. He had a gaping wound just under his ribs covered with a makeshift bandage that was soaked red. He sat up as the two Akatsuki stepped forward and entered the cave.

He wore a long scarf that was wound around his head like a turban. It covered most of his face; only his eyes were visible under his hitai-ate. His fingers closed around the hilt of a kunai and he held it up in warning.

Deidara stared at him for a moment before doubling up to laugh. He slapped his hands against his thighs and swept his bangs out of his eyes. "And just what do you think you gonna do with that, yeah?"

The man sent a steely glare his way. "Why don't you come over here and find out?"

Deidara shook his head. He glanced at Sasori, "I thought Suna nin didn't have a sense of humor, yeah. What's the deal with this one?"

Sasori stared back at him. "Is there a reason why we're wasting time, Deidara? Kill him and let's go." Sasori turned to leave.

The man laughed softly. Sasori stopped and turned back to look at the man. "You laugh." He smirked. "Do you think I am bluffing?" He took a step forward. "My partner does not share my taste for refinement. He will riddle your guts with explosives, blow you to pieces and then stand back and marvel at it."

The man didn't move a muscle. "Do your worst. You won't get anything by threatening me."

Deidara chuckled. "You're doing this all wrong, yeah. This is the part where you scream and shout and ask us who we are and why we're doing what we're doing, yeah." He sat on his haunches and stared at the man, his scope whirring noisily.

"We already understand who you are and what you're doing – you are the symptoms of a disease. It is a disease that plagues the entire shinobi world. You think that because you have some power, it doesn't matter who you use or kill to fulfil your objectives." The man stopped here, bending over to cough violently. As he straightened, his clothes were covered with fine splatters of blood. "People like you are the scum of shinobi society. You have no rules and you have no honour. You have no conscience. You are like… parasites, the sooner you are exterminated the better." He spat.

Sasori lifted an eyebrow sceptically. For a man who was slowly bleeding to death, the Suna nin was surprisingly verbose. He glanced at Deidara who seemed to be frozen stiff, eyes glazed over, listening to the enemy ninja. Sasori narrowed his eyes. Being the elder and more experienced half of their team, he was often forced to rein in Deidara's impulses. Half the time, he was busy stopping the teen from blowing up every solid piece of matter that was in the vicinity of a target but not so this time. Deidara seemed to be in no hurry to reach for his exploding clay.

"Deidara, kill him." Sasori turned away, losing interest. There was another one of them still out there, probably racing towards the border even as they spoke. He needed to be taken care of.

Deidara watched the blazing hatred in the man's eyes and willed himself to keep looking as the shadows on the man's face grew darker and more twisted as he began to envision his demise at the hands of a parasite. Deidara knew this look well. He had lived with it since as long as he could remember. That dark scowl of suspicion and disgust was interspersed with the bittersweet memories of his childhood. Not that he'd had much of a childhood. His bloodline limit always came in the way of discovering any social talent he might have had. And Iwa's time honoured militaristic, despotic outlook put him out in the woods before he'd fully realized what sort of life he'd chosen for himself.

He wanted freedom. Was that so bad, so evil? He had dreams. He dreamt of spending his life practicing and perfecting his art. His art was never meant to be put to use to kill people; no, that was just an unavoidable side effect of such an effective technique. The first man he'd killed had been a mistake. He just hadn't known any better; he was merely a child. How could he have known that one ill-timed explosion would land him in the Tsuchikage's office, staring down at a life of bonded labour. Induction into ANBU had followed soon after; the Tsuchikage had really lost no time in tying him down. Perhaps, if he had been a little more patient, he might have stayed in Iwa.

But the Tsuchikage had never been a man of patience, and the rest, as they say, is history.

"Listen carefully." Deidara spoke softly. He carefully fed clay to both the hand-mouths on his palms. "I don't usually do this, so I want you to play your part right, yeah."

The man twitched.

"You are going to be a beautiful work of art, even though you don't deserve it, yeah. In a few moments, you're gonna explode, yeah. I want you to keep your eyes open. If you do, the last thing you see will be glorious art." He reached forward and dropped a small, perfectly formed sparrow just out of his reach. He stood and walked around the man, carefully placing, little clay sparrows at regular intervals all around his body.

The man glared at him murderously. "You're going to rot in hell, bastard."

Deidara rolled his eyes. "Seriously, is that the best you can come up with, yeah? You're about to go ka-boom and all you can think about is me….tch. Standards are slipping in Suna, yeah."

Sasori stood and began to walk away. Deidara moved away slowly, walking backwards, watching as the man finally abandoned his stoic demeanor and began to thrash around, trying to reach the little birds. As the man wrenched this way and that, trying to force his body into action, his wound reopened and a steady stream of blood oozed out from under the bandage.

Deidara stood alongside Sasori. "Katsu." The man froze for an instant, his eyes locking with Deidara's, before letting loose a hoarse yell that died in the reverberating boom of the exploding birds. Rocks, dust and fire erupted as one from within the cave, burning everything in its path. A huge ball of fire rolled out of the cave, rolling down a small hillock, extinguishing in a cloud of smoke as it ran along the wet, slushy ground.

The blackened husk of the man's hitai-ate shot towards their feet. Deidara crushed the twisted metal under his foot.

"Let's go danna."

Deidara opened his eyes with a start. He let loose a shaky breath and sat up. Almost as if on cue, the stomp of the night watchman's staff on the cobbled street stones outside reminded him of where he was. He fell back into the pillows of his bed and stared at the ceiling. He hadn't dreamt of the past in months. He rubbed his eyes. Sometimes, he could still see the man's eyes, swollen in shock and terror. He swung his legs off the bed and dropped to the floor. Pushing his body up on his arms, he kept his legs straight and lowered himself to the ground, once, twice, thrice, repeatedly till he lost count of the number of push-ups he'd done and till his arms were numb. He collapsed on the floor. His cheek pressed into the cold stone.

"_Sensei, do you ever miss it?"_

"_Miss what, Touya?"_

_The boy shrugged briefly. They were sitting on the banks of the river, after a particularly rigorous training session. Kisuke was sprawled on the grass below them, chewing on a grass stalk. Mizuki sat at the edge of the water, wiggling her toes in the soft silt of the river. The bees were buzzing, the birds were chirping, and all was right with the world. _

"_Miss what, yeah?" Deidara bumped his shoulder against Touya's. The boy rested his chin on his knee and looked up at him. _

"_Do you ever miss being Akatsuki?" Everybody froze. The children fought hard not to look at their teacher right that instant. Deidara felt his breath catch in his throat before finally letting loose a throaty chuckle. _

"_Took you long enough to ask, yeah." He had always marvelled at his team's ability to whitewash over his past and accept him as their teacher. They never spoke about his past or what he had been before he was assigned their teacher. An easy camaraderie had developed amongst the four. They trained together, sometimes ate meals together, and even though he wasn't allowed to take them on missions, they would tell him each and every detail later. The rules constricting his involvement in their lives were never discussed nor paid attention to. They never discussed him with anybody else – jealously guarding their interaction with the notorious former missing nin. _

_When he had been assigned as their teacher, he had been more than surprised to find that their reactions were typically adolescent. Bored, very mildly curious, indifferent. He'd never felt like he didn't belong. They made him think that this was what he was meant to do, meant to be; this was normal, even for him. They helped him to forget that normal had never been meant for him. _

"_So….do you ever miss it?"_

_Pause. Deep sigh. "Sometimes….yeah, sometimes I do miss it." He waited for the outbursts of disgust, the disappointed silence, the feeling of suffocation he felt when people looked upon him with hate and disdain. But it never came._

_Another pause. Shrug. "Guess that's natural. It'd be weird if you didn't."_

No, his team would never let him think that he didn't belong there, but he knew better. The man he had been, the boy who blew up Iwa's ANBU headquarters, the teenager who fought the Kazekage and won, the guy that sat atop a dead man and mocked his friends, the person who was willing to die to take out an enemy, that boy, that person was still alive. In the recesses of his mind, Deidara often came face to face with the maniacal bomber of his past. Mostly, he would crook his head to the side, smirk and walk on but sometimes, sometimes he would stop and gaze longingly at his mad eyes that still held the dream of freedom. And this freedom was purer, because it held no taint of blood, no trace of guilt, only art, pure beautiful art.

X

Two hours later found Deidara seated in the waiting room outside Mizuki's ward at Konoha Hospital. Sakura had mentioned that she'd speak to the Hokage about granting him special permission to see her. He wouldn't admit that he was hoping for a positive response if anyone asked, but he was comfortable in the knowledge that morning visiting hours were due to begin anyway.

Sakura. That's another thing. He didn't even want to touch whatever it was that had hung between the two of them yesterday when he'd come to the hospital. It had been complicated. She'd been nervous and jittery around him. And he hadn't fared much better, he'd pretty much run as soon as the opportunity presented itself. But then, what else was left to say or do for them anyway? The way they'd parted had been acutely embarrassing and he still had trouble thinking about it.

He'd never been the sort to actively seek out the company of women. That had been more Kisame's style. He didn't have Itachi's brooding, indifferent persona that somehow worked to draw women like flies, he didn't have Kisame's silver tongue either, he didn't know charm if it hit him in the face. Sasori's boyish looks always guaranteed him a second glance, and Hidan and Kakuzu….well, even he wasn't insane enough to imagine that one – too horrific.

He'd always been the boisterous, flamboyant one in the group but somehow, when it came to women, he chickened out. His hesitance stemmed from his sensitivity of his bloodline limit. In the Akatsuki, there was an unwritten rule never to mention any member's unique ability. Outside, he'd been the target of ridicule for so long that he too began to view his hand-mouths as something unpleasant, and undesirable. It was only in recent years, as the war and the killing intensified, he'd drowned himself in the arms of prostitutes and discovered what a source of pleasure his clever hands could be.

But Sakura….why had she acted like that? Why had she been so friendly, so flirtatious? There must be a reason. Something must have happened. Was it something he'd done? Because up until he'd touched her…there, she'd been as willing as him….or was that his imagination? Well, she was drunk. But…Deidara rolled his eyes. He could go on arguing with himself all morning, but he doubted he'd make any sense of it. He should just forget about it.

He looked around and pulled a battered notepad from one of the many pockets on his coat. He picked up a chewed up pencil from the table and began making notes on the new technique he planned to teach the boys. He was so engrossed in his work that he almost missed the spike in a chakra that seemed remotely familiar. He stopped. The chakra came closer. He cautiously moved his pencil in circles. Finally, the person seemed to have made a decision. He could feel them striding towards him. When it was just a step away, he looked up.

Ino stopped in her tracks.

Deidara frowned slightly, trying to place her. His brow cleared as he remembered. Sakura's friend.

Ino smiled, a dazzling smile. Deidara waited. "Deidara, right?" Deidara leaned back in his chair and smirked slightly.

"Yeah."

Ino flipped her ponytail back, and pushed her bangs out of her face. "Waiting for someone?" She asked casually.

He closed his eyes in exasperation. "My student's in there." He gestured towards the intensive care ward. "Waiting to see her."

Ino's cocky grin faltered a bit. "Oh right, sure. What's her name? I can check if they'll let you in."

Deidara raised an eyebrow in question. Ino shrugged. "They're not that busy right now. And since you showed up even before visiting hours start, I guess you must really want to see her."

His expression softened. "That would be…great. Thank you."

Ino grinned. "No problemo. Wait, I'll be back in five." She turned and sashayed down the hallway into the ICU. Deidara watched her go in confusion. What on earth…..

X

As soon as the frosted glass doors shut behind her, Ino dashed forward, searching blindly for Sakura. "Where are you Forehead?" Suddenly spotting Sakura filling in her clipboard, Ino raced towards her and grabbed her arm. "Forehead! I found you!"

"What's wrong with you Ino?" Sakura tried to shake her off. But Ino held firm.

"Something's going to be wrong with you once you hear this." She waggled her eyebrows suggestively. Sakura stared back at her, too tired to react.

"What is it Ino? I've been working for sixteen hours straight. My hair is lumpy, my clothes stink, I stink, and all I want to do is take a hot shower and go to bed. What do you want?"

Ino rolled her eyes. "Why can't you think about something nice for a change? Oh and Sakura, about the stinking thing…Too much information. I did not need to know that."

Sakura narrowed her eyes. "Oh that is just rich Ino. You want to know every last detail about my failed seduction attempt, but me just telling you that I perspire like any normal, healthy human being is "too much information"? Sheesh." It was Sakura's turn to roll her eyes.

Ino stamped her foot. "Ugh Forehead, focus! I come bearing gifts. Do _not_ piss me off."

Sakura scoffed. "The last time you told me that you come bearing gifts was when you set me up on a blind date with Handsy Hiro."

Ino inspected her nails delicately. "Well this time, it's different."

Sakura groaned. "Not another guy?"

Ino smiled. "That's right."

Sakura sighed. "What's different about this time?"

"Well, this time he's hot."

"What about handsy?"

Ino stuck her tongue in her cheek and thought about Deidara's hands. Hmmm. "He's definitely not handsy. Well not in a bad way."

Sakura looked at her sceptically. "There's a good sort of handsy?"

Ino grinned. Her eyes sparkled. "Of course there is. There's a handsy that makes your skin crawl, and there's a handsy that makes you tingle." Sakura laughed, shaking her head. There was simply no stopping an enthusiastic Ino.

"Come on, Sakura. He's already here."

"What!"

"What?"

"You brought him here? How could you?" Sakura exclaimed indignantly.

"Well…"

"Ino, I work here."

"So?"

"So use your head next time you think of doing me a favour, alright?" Sakura grumbled. She let Ino drag her towards the door of the ICU. "And besides, Ino, I don't know. I still haven't figured out this thing with Deidara….and …"

"Whoa whoa whoa. Hold up Forehead." Ino stopped and turned to face her, hands on her hips. "Since when do you have a thing with Deidara?"

Sakura stared at her shoes. "I don't, but…"

"But, what? But you want one?"

"No…I mean, yes…I mean…I should at least apologise…you know…about what happened." Sakura alternated between shaking her head and nodding to finally letting her shoulders slump in defeat while Ino watched with mounting amusement.

"Hmmm."

"What?"

"Nothing. Did I say something?"

"You said 'Hmmm'."

"So?"

"So tell me what's going on in that devil-brain of yours! No 'Hmmm' of yours is innocent."

"I'm hurt Sakura."

"Tough."

Ino struggled hard to keep from smiling. She finally cracked. "Fine! I give up. A certain blonde hunk of beautiful is out in the waiting room. He wants to know if he can see his student."

Sakura gasped. "Deidara's here? Ino, you _idiot_, why didn't you tell me before?" Sakura craned her neck, trying to catch a glimpse of him through the gap in the doors.

"My my, aren't we eager?" Ino replied dryly.

"I'm not eager. I'm …..His student is serious, Ino!"

Ino stared at her like she suddenly had a mushroom for a head. "Which is why she's in here, in the ICU."

Sakura rambled on as though she hadn't heard Ino. "Oh gods, I'm a mess. I look like shit, and I…"

Ino cut in. "Yes, yes we know. You smell like shit too."

Sakura blushed. Ino rolled her eyes. "Oh please. Get yourself prettied up. I'll show him in."

Sakura rushed away. Ino slipped through the doors, and into the waiting area. As she passed the reception desk, she spied Deidara's name on a list stuck to the bulletin board along with bed number and patient name. Mizuki Yoshiwara. Bed no. 12. Age 13. She smiled.

"Deidara." He looked up. She beckoned him in. "I checked with Sakura. She says it's okay for you to be here."

He simply nodded. Ino stopped at Mizuki's bed. "Sakura should be here any minute. I have to go check on my shift. Bye!" And she was gone. Deidara stared after her, not exactly sure what had just happened.

"Er…sure. Thanks, yeah."

"No problem."

Deidara looked at Mizuki. She was breathing normally, and her features were relaxed. Tentatively, he settled into a chair beside the bed and rested his elbows on the bed.

"She woke up for a little while, last night." Sakura's soft voice floated out from behind him. Deidara whirled around. When had she snuck up on him? How hadn't he detected her?

Sakura smiled shyly at him. Her face was freshly scrubbed and her hair tied back in a functional ponytail, her bangs framed her face. Deidara swallowed.

"She woke up?" His voice sounded scratchy.

"Yes, around three o'clock." Sakura checked Mizuki's pulse and glanced at him. "I know you would have wanted to be informed but she went back to sleep almost immediately. I didn't want to wake you….I wasn't sure she'd wake again soon, so…"

"That's alright, yeah. Maybe she'll wake now."

"Right."

"Right."

They both stared at the wall, then at their shoes, then back at the wall before venturing a glance in the other's direction.

**Say****something,****stop****being****such****a****colossal****wuss**. Inner screamed at her. Sakura took a deep breath and decided to plunge. "Um…Deidara?"

"Yeah?"

"Well," she tucked a stray bang behind her ear. "I just...wanted to…you know…apologise to you." She looked at him. He was watching her carefully.

"Don't worry about it, yeah." He shrugged. What else could he say to her?

Sakura bit her lip. "I really don't know how….I mean…I never meant to hurt you."

Deidara frowned. "I get it Sakura. It's okay. Don't….just forget it, yeah." He turned away, focussing instead on Mizuki who was sleeping blissfully, unaware of the storm brewing around her.

Sakura looked at him in dismay. His refusal to talk about that night had nullified any opening she could have had to speak to him and perhaps, on the wildest chance, do the whole thing over, this time, without any silly Sasuke-induced migraines. "You're mad at me." She sighed.

Deidara shook his head. "Are you seriously going there Sakura? I mean, do you really want to talk about the disaster that night was?" His frustration and anger finally erupted. All he wanted was to forget about it and move on with his life. Why couldn't she just do the same?

Sakura took a deep breath. "You have every right to be angry, I know but I just…it wasn't you. I wanted to tell you that…it wasn't because of you. It's just me. I'm a messed up person right now Deidara, and it was wrong on my part to drag you down with me. I…am sorry." Her voice thickened.

Deidara stuck his lower lip out. Nodding his head, he looked at her, "Alright, I get it. It wasn't me, it was you, yeah. Fine. Marvellous. Just do me a favour, next time I do something stupid like kiss you, please give me a slap or push me away. That'll work better. For the both of us." He stood abruptly and walked out. Sakura watched him go further and further away. She turned her face back towards the black monitor registering Mizuki's heartbeat. The blips fell steadily, their solid notes echoing in the empty hallway.

**Author's Note**

Whew! Finally done. I took a really long time with this chapter and I hope you'll all like it. Please comment. Your reviews are the only insight I get as a writer.


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